The colour theme chosen by my mother (it was certainly not me choosing) for my Bar Mitzvah in 1976 was orange. That was probably no surprise considering it was the mid 70s and at the time my hair would have  matched well with the colour theme. It accented the rust coloured three piece suit that I wore as well. And, as I think about it, I still wear three piece suits, but not rust.

As to flowers,  my mother also chose an orange flower – the Bird of Paradise or in French, Oiseau de Paradis. Even as a relatively unsophisticated 13 year old boy, I could appreciate this flower; its colour, delicateness and unique shape.  I never did forget the Oiseau de Paradis.

Fast forward another 11 years to 1987 and I found myself with Max on our post articling trip to Australia and New Zealand. That trip could merit its very own blog post. I could wax poetic of our time in Katherine Gorge with Bruce, an American who was pining for a woman back home who did not know of his existence, while he survived on a big bag of brown rice he kept in his suitcase that would have matched what my grandfathers would have come to the new country with. I could also write about the year we spent one night in Tennant Creek, a dusty truck stop in the middle of nowhere in the Outback. Part way through that trip we found ourselves in Sydney and we were staying a tiny little house near Kings Cross. Those few days too would merit its own blog post. One vivid memory though was that this house had Oiseau de Paradis growing in the courtyard.  I distinctly recall saying to myself then that one day, I would want to own a home where Oiseau de Paradis could grow in the garden.  I never did forget the Oiseau de Paradis

Fast forward another 25 years to 2012 and Janny and I found ourselves married and owning a home in Marseille. And yes, our home does indeed have Oiseau de Paradis growing in the garden. That said, I had to wait another nine years to right now in 2021 to be in Marseille when our Oiseau de Paradis have been in bloom. Through the twists and turns of a good part of a lifetime, I never did forget the Oiseau de Paradis.